The present disclosure relates generally to a toilet seat assembly and, more particularly, to a toilet seat cover mounting system.
The present invention relates to a toilet seat cover which is configured to conform to a toilet bowl and provide an aesthetically pleasing appearance by maintaining a substantially continuous outer surface between the bowl and the toilet seat when in a lowered position. The toilet seat cover includes laterally spaced seat cover guides slidably supporting laterally spaced slides. The slides are illustratively coupled to the toilet bowl through at least one hinge.
A rearwardly facing surface of the seat cover acts as a cam against a cooperating surface of the toilet bowl to force the seat cover to slide forward as the seat cover is raised by pivoting about the at least one hinge. A biasing device, such as a spring, may be attached to each of the slides to force the seat cover to return to a rearward position when the seat cover is lowered by pivoting about the at least one hinge. As such, the gap between the seat cover and the toilet bowl is reduced when the seat cover is lowered, but the gap increases to provide sufficient and variable spacing to accommodate pivoting movement of the seat cover as the seat cover is raised.
When the seat cover is closed, the springs maintain the seat cover in its rearward position. When the seat cover is lifted, the rearwardly facing surface (e.g., back corner radius) of the seat cover contacts the bowl surface and acts as a cam to force the seat cover to slide forward, thereby shifting the relative position of the seat cover pivot point. When the seat cover is closed, the springs force the seat cover back to the rearwardly facing position once the rear surface has cleared the cooperating bowl surface.
According to an illustrative embodiment of the present disclosure, a toilet seat cover mounting system includes a seat, a seat cover, and a hinge operably coupled to the seat cover and supporting the seat cover for pivoting movement between a lowered position and a raised position. A slide assembly is operably coupled to the seat cover. The slide assembly includes a slide having a socket receiving the hinge, and a guide supporting the socket for sliding movement as the seat cover moves longitudinally between a rearward position and a forward position. A camming surface is supported by the seat cover and is configured to engage with a toilet bowl to move the seat cover relative to the socket from the rearward position to the forward position as the seat cover is pivoted from the lowered position to the raised position.
According to another illustrative embodiment of the present disclosure, a toilet seat cover mounting system includes an engagement surface supported by a toilet bowl. A seat cover is supported for pivoting movement relative to the toilet bowl between a lowered position and a raised position, and is supported for translational movement relative to the toilet bowl between a rearward position and a forward position. A camming surface is supported by the seat cover and is configured to cooperate with the engagement surface to translationally move the seat cover from the rearward position to the forward position as the seat cover is pivoted from the lowered position to the raised position.
According to a further illustrative embodiment of the present disclosure, a toilet seat cover mounting system includes a seat cover, and a hinge operably coupled to the seat cover and configured to support the seat cover for pivoting movement between a lowered position and a raised position. A slide assembly is operably coupled to the seat cover and is configured to support the seat cover for translational movement between a rearward position and a forward position.
According to yet another illustrative embodiment of the present disclosure, a toilet seat cover mounting system includes a toilet seat cover configured to translate between a rearward position and a forward position as the toilet seat cover is pivoted between a lowered position and a raised position.
Additional features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of the illustrative embodiment exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the invention as presently perceived.